The storm raged outside like some ancient wrath, relentless and consuming. Its fury was so constant, so unyielding, that I had lost track of time completely. It felt biblical in scale, like the kind of tempest sent to wipe the slate clean and start over. The howling winds and bursts of heat felt like the angry breath of a vengeful god.

I’d been tucked into the back of the cave for so long that the lines between waiting, sleeping, and simply existing had blurred. My body felt heavy, my mind sluggish. Maybe it was the storm’s oppressive energy, or maybe it was my new condition. Whatever the reason, I was bone-weary, and for the first time in my brief but chaotic undead existence, I wasn’t sure how much fight I had left in me.

I must have dozed off at some point, lulled into a stupor by the ceaseless drumming of the storm. When I came to, it wasn’t with a jolt or a start, but with a slow, creeping awareness that something was different. The air seemed heavier, charged with an energy that hadn’t been there before. I shifted cautiously, my muscles protesting the movement, and strained my ears against the stillness.

Then I heard it- a faint noise from the mouth of the cave. Not the storm this time, but something quieter, more deliberate. Footsteps? The scrape of claws against stone? I tensed, readying myself despite the dull ache in my body. If something had decided to make this cave its hunting ground, I wasn’t about to go down without a fight. Blind or not, I’d take my chances.

“Who are you talking to?” I called out, my voice breaking the silence like a crack of lightning.

There was a pause, then a familiar voice, warm and tinged with relief. “Declan? Is that you?”

“Jinx?” I exhaled, the tension in my shoulders easing as her hurried footsteps echoed in the cavern. When her hand found my arm, I reached out and touched her shoulder in return, grounding myself in the solid presence of her.

“In the flesh,” I said, grinning despite the exhaustion that weighed me down. “Or what’s left of it. Pretty sure the storm sanded off the first few layers of my skin. You have no idea how glad I am to see -well, hear- you right now.”

She let out a breathy laugh, and it was the best sound I’d heard in ages. “You’re a sight for sore eyes too, Declan. I wasn’t sure I’d find you.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d find my way out of here, either. How’d you do it? And who were you talking to earlier?”

“Yeah, well, I had a little help.” Her voice turned wry. “Turns out I was overcomplicating the door puzzle. Shocking, I know. The moment I fell through, I got blasted by that hellish storm you probably noticed.”

“Oh yeah, we’re old friends now,” I said, smirking.

She ignored me and continued, “I used my gift to call for help. Two beasties answered the call and dragged me through that nightmare to get here.”

Her tone was casual, but I could hear the faint tremor underneath. Whatever she’d gone through hadn’t been easy. She extended her arms, and I turned my attention to what she was showing me. My breath caught as I saw the patterns of her "beasties" materialize in my unique vision.

The first was a creature of fiery brilliance, its aura an intricate weave of blazing oranges, reds, and yellows. It looked like a bird of prey -hawk, maybe an eagle- but its tail stretched unnaturally long, trailing off into smoky wisps of shadow. Its eyes glowed a deep, molten red, burning with intelligence and an almost predatory focus.

The second creature was smaller but no less striking. It had the serpentine body of a dragon, complete with leathery wings that shimmered like liquid silver and talons that glowed with an otherworldly light. Indigo and silver hues rippled across its scales, and its eyes… her eyes were mesmerizing. A shade of green so vibrant and piercing that I could feel them on me even when I looked away.

“Well, hello there, beautiful,” I said, directing the words at the little dragon. “Nice to meet you. And thanks for bringing my friend back to me.”

The dragonette let out a soft cooing chirrup in response, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was the most adorable sound I’d ever heard. She leaned toward me, and without thinking, I reached up to scratch under her chin and behind her head. Her scales were smooth and warm to the touch, radiating a comforting heat that seeped into my chilled fingers.

“Do you mind if I…?” I asked Jinx, gesturing vaguely toward the creature.

“What? Oh, of course. I lay no claim to them. Besides, she seems to like you.”

“Really? How can you tell?”

“Well,” Jinx admitted, “I can’t see much in here, but I can sense it. It’s like she’s… relaxed around you.”

The little dragon proved her point by leaping gracefully onto my shoulder, curling her sinuous body around my neck like a living scarf. She nuzzled my hair and nipped at my ear, and I chuckled.

“I think I’ll call you Netty. What do you think of that?” The dragonette nuzzled me again, a small puff of warm breath tickling my neck. “Netty it is,” I said, grinning.

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“Oh my,” Jinx said with a laugh. “Looks like you’ve made a friend for life.”

“Glad to hear it. Though I have to say, your fiery buddy is no slouch in the charm department either. His pattern just lit up like a damn supernova.”

“That’s because he’s giving off actual light now,” Jinx said, her tone shifting. She moved away slightly, and her voice grew quieter. “Declan… there are a lot of bones in here.”

“I know. I broke one earlier. Big guy. Smelled like beef.”

There was a clatter as she dropped something to the ground. Her voice came back sharper, tinged with unease. “These bones aren’t just big, Declan. They’re massive. Whatever used this cave as a lair… it wasn’t small. Are you sure you didn’t run into anything?”

“Nope,” I said, keeping my voice calm and measured, though I didn’t fully relax my grip on the makeshift spear I was using as a staff. I felt Netty shift uneasily on my shoulder. “I figured it hadn’t been here in a while. Though I was ready, just in case it chose to return while the storm raged outside. You’re the first thing to show up.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Jinx said, though her tone was cautious. “We shouldn’t stay here any longer than absolutely necessary. I don’t want to press our luck.” The bird made a low, keening sound that resonated in the stillness. It wasn’t fear exactly, but it wasn’t comfort either.

“I agree,” I said, standing and brushing off some unseen dust. “Still, I can’t help but wonder -where exactly is here? I don’t think our new friends,” I gestured to Netty and Nix, “are from back home.”

“Terra? Oh, they might be,” she replied, though I could hear the doubt in her voice. “But I’ve never heard of a place on Terra with storms like the one outside. My guess? We must have stepped across to one of the neighboring planes.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, though she couldn’t see it. “Wait, are you telling me there are other worlds out there? You know what I mean -other dimensions.”

“Yeah,” she said, nodding, the light from the bird’s flames casting shadows that flickered across the walls. “There are countless worlds that can be reached via the Path through the Way. Some are wildly different, others close enough to feel familiar. This must be one of the ones with enough similarities to Terra that the original Walkers deemed it safe enough to leave the doorway open for travel.”

“Well, I’m glad they did,” I said, absently stroking Netty’s smooth, warm scales. “Except for the weather, this place isn’t so bad. It reminds me of the Navajo sandstone caverns of Arizona. I love those places. And, well, I think I love our new friends too.”

Jinx let out a soft laugh. “I guess they’re growing on me too.” She reached up to scratch the fiery bird’s feathery head. The bird trilled softly, almost a hum of approval.

“Speaking of which,” I said, nodding toward her shoulder. “What are you going to name him?”

She paused, considering. “I don’t know -I hadn’t thought of it. Hmm… How about Nix? What do you think, big guy?” She tilted her head toward the fiery bird. Nix puffed up his feathers proudly and nodded solemnly, preening his blazing tail feathers.

“Nix, huh? Why Nix?”

“Because he reminds me of a phoenix,” she said, her voice light and fond. “You know, the bird of legend?”

I nodded. “Makes sense to me.”

“What about you?” she asked, glancing at me over her shoulder. “Why Netty?”

“Same reason,” I said with a grin. “She’s like some sort of mini dragon -a dragonet- so, Netty.”

Jinx chuckled. “Sounds good to me. Practical. I like it.”

Her voice grew more thoughtful as she gazed toward the mouth of the cave. “How long do you think this storm will last?”

I shrugged. “Honestly? Not sure. It’s been going for quite a while now. Though I did get a brief respite earlier, long enough to find this cave. But that was hours ago.”

“Great,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “So, we might be here for a while.”

“Looks like it.”

She straightened up suddenly, her tone brightening. “Maybe we should explore further into the caves while we wait. You know, make sure nothing is lurking back there, ready to sneak up on us.”

I hesitated. “Are you sure? That sounds pretty dangerous.”

She smirked. “Says the guy who jumped into an unknown portal.” I grinned at her in response and she continued. “Like you said, where’s your sense of adventure?” Without waiting for my answer, she stepped past me, Nix’s radiant glow spilling ahead of her and illuminating the uneven walls.

Netty shifted on my shoulder, her sinuous body tensing slightly. I got the distinct impression she thought this was a bad idea. I wasn’t sure how I knew -maybe it was something in her subtle movements or the way her tail coiled a little tighter around my neck. Either way, it felt like a warning.

“What do you think, Netty?” I whispered. “Are we about to get ourselves into trouble?”

Her small chirp, soft and hesitant, told me everything I needed to know.

I sighed. “Yeah, me too. But we can’t let her take all the risks herself, can we?”

“Are you coming?” Jinx called back, her voice echoing faintly in the dim expanse.

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, gripping my bone spear as I stepped forward. “Some of us don’t see so well these days, you know.”

She laughed, a sound that eased some of the tension coiled in my chest. “No excuses, Declan. Get moving.”

I chuckled as I followed her into the dark, my footsteps crunching softly against the gritty floor. The cave walls seemed to close in around us, the air growing cooler and carrying the faint, mineral-rich scent of damp stone. Nix’s light danced across the rough surfaces, throwing jagged shadows that shifted and morphed with every step.

“You know,” I said, breaking the silence, “this whole place gives me déjà vu. The dark tunnels, the weird storm outside, the ominous vibe. It’s like something out of an old adventure movie.”

“Let’s just hope this one doesn’t end with us getting eaten,” Jinx said dryly, though I caught the hint of a smile in her voice.

“Agreed,” I said. “I prefer my endings less… crunchy.”

We continued deeper into the cave, the sound of the storm outside gradually fading into the background. The tunnel sloped gently downward, the ground beneath our feet becoming slick with moisture. I reached out to steady myself against the wall, the rough texture grounding me as we moved further into the unknown.

Nix let out a soft trill, and I heard Jinx murmur something to him, her tone quiet and reassuring. Netty, meanwhile, remained a warm, comforting presence on my shoulder, her occasional chirps a reminder that I wasn’t alone in this.

“Hey, Jinx,” I said after a while. “You ever think about how weird our lives have gotten lately?”

She snorted. “Declan, I’ve been thinking about that since the moment I met you. Weird is putting it mildly.”

“Fair,” I said, grinning. “But you have to admit, it’s kind of exciting.”

Her laughter echoed through the cavern. “I’ll give you that. But exciting doesn’t mean safe, so keep your guard up. We don’t know what’s down here.”

“Noted.” I tightened my grip on the bone-spear and adjusted Netty’s position on my shoulder. “But if anything does show up, I’m ready.”

“Good,” she said. “Let’s hope you don’t have to prove it.”